Fibrous insulation is typically formed by fiberizing molten material and depositing the fibers on a collecting conveyor. Typically the fibers for insulation products are mineral fibers, such as glass fibers, although some insulation products are made of organic fibers, such as polypropylene and polyester. Most fibrous insulation products contain a binder material to bond the fibers together where they contact each other, forming a lattice or network. The binder gives the insulation product resiliency for recovery after packaging, and provides stiffness and handleability so that the product can be handled and applied as needed in the wall cavities of buildings. During manufacturing the insulation is cut into widths and lengths to form individual insulation products, and the insulation products are packaged for shipping to customer locations.
Insulation products may also have a facing applied to one or more of the major surfaces of the fibrous insulation product. The facing is generally applied using an adhesive material, and the facing, adhesive material, or combination serve several important functions. First, the facing and/or adhesive serves as a vapor barrier for the insulation product. A vapor barrier is necessary to prevent moisture-laden air from the warm interior of the dwelling from entering the insulation. Otherwise, the water vapor in the warm interior air would enter the insulation material and then cool and condense within the insulation or on the outside sheathing. This would result in a damp insulation product, which is incapable of performing at its designed efficiency. In conjunction with serving as a vapor barrier, the facing material is often used to facilitate the installation of the product. Faced insulation products use a flanged facing material, meaning the facing extends beyond the edges of the major surface of the insulation material. Insulation products that do not include the flanged facing and adhesive are also used; however, a vapor barrier material, such as plastic sheeting, may then be installed. Finally, the facing and adhesive provide stiffness to the assembled insulation product, thus improving the handleability of the insulation product.
One such known insulation product is a insulation batt, usually about 8 feet long, and generally suitable for use as wall insulation in standard wall cavities in residential and commercial structures. Standard wall cavities generally include cavities having a width averaging about 14½ inches or 22½ inches where the spacing distances between the studs that define the wall cavity are 16 and 24 inches, respectively. Faced insulation products containing flange portions are generally designed to be installed by mechanically fastening the flange portion of the insulation batt to the studs defining each edge of the wall cavity. Unfaced insulation products are generally designed to be installed by using a separate layer of material fastened to provide the necessary vapor barrier protection. Installation associated with both types of products is often time consuming, labor intensive, and subsequently expensive, due to the necessity of containing the insulation product using additional layers of material and/or fastening means. Installation of stapled flanges often results in gaps between staples securing the facing, and this can lead to air leaks and moisture absorption into the insulation product. These gaps between the fastening means or the placement of an additional vapor barrier material can also result in an unattractive appearance of the installed product as well.
It is also known to utilize binderless fibrous insulation products to produce insulation batts. Binderless fibrous insulation products are generally contained within an exterior layer, such as a kraft paper or polyethylene sleeve of material, and cut into batts for use in insulating wall cavities. Binderless products are significantly less rigid than bindered insulation products, thus making the binderless product more difficult to install. A compression fit installation is the typical installation method for these types of binderless products, meaning the insulation batt is deformed such that the binderless product fills the insulation cavity. However, binderless products lack the stiffness of bindered products, subsequently making the binderless products hard to handle. Additionally, the fibers in binderless products can become unevenly distributed, and such uneven distribution has a negative impact on the performance of the insulation product.
Thus, it would be desirable to create an improved insulation product.